Where should we go and what should we see in Germany and Switzerland?

June 26, 2008 3:40 PM

My boyfriend and I will be meeting my dad in Berlin in mid-September. I've never been to Germany and my boyfriend has never been to Switzerland, and we'll be there a total of 10 days. How should we split up our time, and what should we see? My dad will be renting a car, so we're planning on driving between cities. Any suggestions are appreciated!
posted by odayoday to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total)

If you're going to go down to Switzerland, I highly recommend stopping in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which is fairly close to the Swiss border. The town and landscape are beautiful, and the nearby Zugspitze is a huge mountain on the German-Austrian border which costs about 50 EUR to escalate by gondola or train, but it's the kind of view (you look down on the Alps) which will change you permanently.
posted by aliasless at 4:04 PM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]

The direction that would take you close to Muncih and through the corner of Austria is around the eastern edge of Lake Constance (or BodenSee in Switzerland). There are several smallish cities / communities that are nice to visit such as St Gallen on the way into Zurich. An alternative direction is through Frankfurt. Not as scenic, but you'd be closer to the Rhein Valley and it's generally a quicker drive.

Other than seeing the cities in the german speaking part of CH, Luzern, Zurich, Basel, Bern. The Berner Oberland is THE place to spend some time. It is magical.

You should plan two days for the drive down.
posted by michswiss at 7:34 PM on June 26, 2008

On the way to Switzerland make a stop in München for the Oktoberfest Sep. 20. - Oct. 5
posted by armadillo at 10:46 PM on June 26, 2008

Just drive through the Alps! I just spent 4 days all around eastern Switzerland and then rode south along the Italian border through all the mountain villages and over a few passes. Absolutely stunning area. Most memorable was around Lake Lucerne, through the city of Lucerne, down to Interlaken and then towards Gimmalwald. Gimmalwald is a mountain village that you can only access via cablecar or by hiking to. Worth checking out.

Had to be one of the most scenic/beautiful places I've been to, and I just rode all through western Europe.
posted by wile e at 11:31 PM on June 26, 2008